Swear It Again
by ClumsyBella2.0
Summary: It's a month until the wedding, and an incident happens that throws everyone for a loop. The relationship's strength is once again tested as Edward is caught in the middle of the latest problem.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **_The Twilight saga belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters... although I truly wish I owned some part of the dazzling Edward (sigh)

Hope you guys enjoy the story!

--

_**Bella's POV**_

One month... that's all the time that remained of my unmarried life. Thirty days was all that separated me from an eternity with Edward.

I do admit I was a bit nervous... but the nerves were a distant second to the thought of being with him forever without boundaries or worries or my innane clumsiness.

I glanced at the mirror and caught a glimpse of my dull features.

"Such a plain Jane," I muttered to myself.

No matter how many times Edward called me beautiful, I would never quite understand what he saw in me. When we went out together, I always felt as though we were one of those couples where people would think to themselves "What in the world is THAT guy doing with HER??"

Suddenly some of the nerves resurfaced. I bit my bottom lip and mulled over a scary thought... what if even a total vampire makeover was not enough to do away with my average looks? With my luck, my glittering in the sun would be dull and boring in comparison to the way Edward took my breath away that day his skin sparkled in the sunlight.

"Edward," I quietly sighed.

The mere thought of him evoked butterflies in the pit of my stomach. I closed my eyes remembering the feel of his messy bronze hair beneath my fingers, the touch of his cool lips gently caressing my mouth, and his soft, velvety whisper reminding me to breathe. I already felt my knees grow weak from the memory.

"Way to go Bella... the mere thought of him causes you to practically faint."

I glanced at the clock and realized it was still a bit too early to head to the Cullens'. Normally I would waste time making some food for Charlie, but today he had an early patrolling shift.

"I guess I could work a bit on my vows," I thought to myself.

How Alice managed to convince me that original vows were the best choice was beyond me. It didn't surprise me that Edward was fully on board with the whole writing our own vows suggestion.

It wasn't a matter of me not having anything to say about my love for Edward. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I'm sure I could talk endlessly about my utter devotion to him. I was more concerned about the fact that my words would do little justice to describing how much I wanted to promise myself to him... how much of my life was so intertwined with his.

I was also worried by the fact that I knew that my words would pale in comparison to Edward's vows. I mean the man could read a dry report on the current state of the stock market and still manage to have the audience hang on his every word. It'll be simply another demonstration of how much I didn't deserve to be in the presence of such perfection.

I glanced at the blank piece of paper in front of me. "Edward," I managed to scrawl on the sheet. It was a start I suppose... I mean every great literary masterpiece starts with a single word.

"Who am I kidding? I am so completely screwed."

_**--**_

_**Charlie's POV**_

The song on the radio finally came to an end as the broadcaster's voice filled the airwaves, "That was another great hit for you listeners out there. We'll play more of your favorites after a brief break. Also, forecasts show that Forks is in store for another cloudy weekend."

"What else is new?" I grumbled. I quickly turned off the radio and decided to ride the rest of the way in silence.

It didn't take a genius to figure out the cause of my irritation. As I made my way out of the house this morning, I caught a quick glimpse of the calendar only to realize that Bella's wedding was exactly a month from today. I had been so sure Renee was going to put up much more of a fight against the whole thing. I was hoping that her disapproval would buy some time and postpone the wedding until at least Bella finished college.

However much to my dismay, it seemed that Edward could not only captivate Bella's heart, but also charm the hell out of Renee as well.

Edward. I still couldn't help the way my eyes narrowed just by thinking about him. To my credit, I had been trying to be somewhat cordial to him for Bella's sake. If I was expected to give away my only daughter to him, I figured I could at least say hello whenever he came over.

However, who could blame me for still holding some resentment towards the boy for leaving Bella that time? The heartbreak was so evident in her face... in her demeanor. I wanted nothing more than to wring his neck for causing her such pain.

I still found it hard to believe how easily Bella looked past his shortcomings and took him back with open arms.

I was so plagued by my thoughts on the upcoming wedding that I almost missed the sight on the side of the road.

My eyes widened with slow realization as I quickly slammed on the brakes.

"Oh no," I gasped.

I opened my car door and ran to the scene. My fingers fumbled with the radio as I made a call to the station. I felt my breathing become erratic as I nervously ran my hand through my hair.

"This is Sheriff Swan. I need immediate medical assistance off the main road. There's been a car accident. The driver has lost consciousness. Over."

"_How severe are the injuries? Over." _the unit radioed back.

I was still in a bit of a daze from the sight in front of me. It wasn't until the radio operator repeated the question that I finally snapped out of my current shock.

I spoke into the radio once again.

"The victim seems to have suffered severe head trauma. He's losing a lot of blood not only from the head injury, but also from injuries acquired from the broken windshield. His car is pretty much wrapped around a tree right now. There's no way I can get to him without some sort of assistance to get through the crushed door. Over."

"_I have dispatched an ambulance to your patrol car's location. The fire department should also be there within five minutes to help the EMTs remove the victim from the vehicle. Any idea who the driver is? Over."_

I gulped, and closed my eyes at the question. I wanted nothing more than to not know the victim at that moment.

I steadied myself and finally radioed back, "Yes I know the victim. It's Edward Cullen... my daughter's fiance. Over."

--

Some cliffhanger huh? Edward in an accident?? Hurt?? WTF?? This is basically a premise that has been stewing in my head for a bit. Are you intrigued? If enough of you guys are interested, I'll be inspired to write more. Let me know your thoughts so far.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: _**_Once again... I do not own any part of The Twilight saga... that honor belongs only to Stephenie Meyer. However, that doesn't mean I can't dream about having Edward._

**So the start of the story had several hits, but only one review. Hopefully, this second chapter will have better luck. Feedback is always greatly appreciated. Hearts and butterflies.**

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_**Bella's POV**_

I looked at the piece of paper while still clutching the pen. The word "Edward" stared back at me as the lone word written at the top of the page. Two hours had passed, and all I had to show for it was his name. I threw the pen across the room and grunted in frustration.

I sighed in defeat as I realized that I just threw my only working pen into the corner. I got up from my chair and made my way to retrieve it. As my luck would have it, I managed to trip on a piece of the comforter that was hanging from the side of my bed.

I met the ground with a loud thud. I groaned from the impact as I slowly brought myself to rest on my hands and knees. My hair covered my face as I tried to blow it away to take in my surroundings. I peered around for the pen only to find that I had thrown it hard enough to break the damn thing as ink spilled from it.

"Absolutely perfect," I commented while rolling my eyes.

I decided I was in no mood to clean the mess up at the moment. It was time to go to the Cullens' anyway, and I knew that the sight of Edward would immediately lift my spirits.

As I grabbed my jacket off the bed, I faintly heard the front door open.

"Bella?" Charlie called out.

Upon hearing my name, I turned to the clock wondering if I had gotten his shifts confused. I made my way down the stairs and saw him standing in the doorway.

"Hey Charlie. I thought you were going to be at work for another few hours. Had I known you were going to be back so early, I would've made you something to eat. If you want I can whip up something quick before I head over to see the Cullens."

Charlie stared at me in silence. He tucked his hands deep into his pockets only to bring them out again. He broke eye contact with me as he gazed around the room as if searching for the right words to say.

"Are you okay, Charlie?"

The sound of my voice brought his attention back to me. He cleared his throat and continued with hesitation.

"Bella, something happened today..."

My stiffened at his tone. I immediately knew that some very bad news laid ahead.

I quickly asked, "Is it mom? Did something happen to her? Is she okay?"

"No sweetie. Renee is fine."

He stepped forward and rested his hands on my shoulders. I mentally ran through the list of possibilities and could think of none that would make Charlie react like this. I was completely terrified at not knowing what was going on.

"Honey, Edward was in a car accident," he finally managed to tell me.

A sudden relief washed over my body. That's it? I mean obviously Charlie was worried since he didn't know what I knew about Edward. I'm sure Edward was going to be upset if his Volvo was in any way damaged, but clearly he was going to be fine physically.

Charlie was clearly confused by my calmness to the news and asked "Bella, did you hear what I just said?"

I nodded my head and stated simply, "I'm sure he's fine. Knowing him, he probably didn't get a scratch on him."

"Bella, I don't think you understand..."

I waved my hand as if to brush off Charlie's concern. I made my way around him to walk out the door to head over the Cullens'.

"It's okay Charlie. I know Edward... he's so crazy careful that I'm sure he's fine. I bet Carlisle has already patched him up back into shape. I'm sure when you got the call, you got worried... and I really appreciate you getting concerned about Edward since I know he's not exactly your favorite person right now."

"Bella, I didn't get the call... I was there. I reported the scene."

I stopped in my tracks. Now I was totally confused. If Charlie was there, then he must've seen that Edward walked away without so much as a scrape. Unless... unless Charlie was trying to ask me how in the world my soon-to-be husband managed to emerge from a car accident unscathed.

I slowly turned to face him and questioned, "You were there?"

Charlie nodded his head before continuing.

"Yes. I was patrolling my usual route when I saw the accident. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I also don't want to mislead you into thinking that everything is perfectly alright. Bella, there was a lot of blood, and..."

I quickly interrupted him, "Blood? You mean there was another car involved? Because I mean Edward can't..."

I quickly stopped myself from finishing that sentence. I couldn't exactly spring on to my dad that it couldn't have been Edward's blood because he's a vampire... and vampire's can't really bleed. However, upon hearing the word blood, I did grow worried, but for a completely different reason. If another person was hurt, I knew Edward would feel so guilty about accidently harming someone else.

Charlie struggled with his words not prepared for having to explain to his daugther the details of the accident. He had been bracing himself for an immediate panic from Bella so much that he was completely taken aback by how calmly she had taken the news. He needed her to understand that Edward was nowhere near okay at the moment.

"There was no one else... there was no other car, Bella. Edward somehow lost control while driving and crashed into a tree. The firefighters managed to get him out without worsening his injuries. He's in pretty bad shape, sweetie. I figured you'd... I thought it best to take you to the hospital myself to go see him."

Charlie stepped towards me, and I immediately took a step back.

"That can't be, Charlie. It's not possible... you don't understand. I'm going to go see Esme and Carlisle... and Edward is going to be alright. He's going to be fine... he's going to be perfectly fine."

I said the words out loud and began to have a hard time believing them. Charlie moved towards me again, and this time I couldn't find the strength in me to move away. I felt the tears stream down my cheeks as Charlie hugged me tightly.

As the heavy sobs racked through my body, several questions filled my mind, and I didn't have the answer to any of them. I pulled my head away from Charlie's chest and looked up at him.

"Take me to him, please," I manged to say tearily.

He nodded at me and kept his right arm firmly wrapped around my waist as we made our way to the car. It was probably for the best since I was having a great deal of trouble getting my legs to function at the moment. I sat in the passenger's seat as Charlie made his way to the driver's side. I looked out the window hoping that when we finally reached the hospital I would find at least some answers to my questions there.

--

_**Alice's POV**_

"Hmm... maybe the shoes with the sparkly straps would look better with my bridesmaid dress," I thought to myself.

"But then again... I really liked the backless silver stilletoes."

My eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. This whole psychic thing really wasn't helpful at all when the vision of my shoes at the wedding would change each time I saw a pair that sparked my interest.

I suddenly felt a wave of calmness wash over me. I sighed contently as a small smile began to emerge on my face.

"Jasper," I whispered.

His arms wrapped around me from behind as he placed a gentle kiss on my temple. I placed my hands on his forearms, which were now resting on my hips. I leaned back into his chest as I closed my eyes. The smile was still very much present on my face as I felt Jasper's breath upon my ear.

"I felt you getting worked up about the wedding, and I figured you might need a little down time," he stated.

As I opened my eyes, I turned around in his arms and stood on my tiptoes. I gently rubbed his sweater-clad chest with my hands and kissed him sweetly.

"Have I told you how much I love you for taking care of me?" I said to him as I rested my head upon his chest.

I felt Jasper's soft chuckle reverberate through his body.

"Not that I recall. How about you show me instead?" he said in a teasing tone.

He grabbed my chin and lowered his head for another kiss. However before his lips could meet mine, my eyes were plagued by a vision. My breath hitched, and Jasper quickly took notice of my sudden change in moods.

I fell to my knees and shook my head furiously as if that would somehow make the visions go away or untrue.

"No... that's just not possible!" I cried.

There was no way my visions were right. It just couldn't be. Something was wrong with me. What I saw just couldn't be real... could it?

Jasper's worried tone was clearly evident as he asked "Alice... what's wrong? What did you see?"

He lowered himself to where I was kneeling and rubbed circles on my back trying to soothe me. I looked at him with confused eyes and couldn't bring myself to describe the vision. I refused to believe that what I saw was real.

"I... I saw..." I muttered as I shook my head again trying to will away the memories of the images. A wave of fear ran through my body.

"What is it Alice?" Jasper urgently questioned.

"Carlisle!" I yelled.

I stood on my undsteady feet and ran to the living room. I felt Jasper follow close behind. Carlisle had been sitting on the couch reading the newspaper as he quickly raised his eyes from it and looked at me with confusion. Esme had been on her way out to tend to her garden, but was clearly stopped by my sudden scream. Rosalie and Emmett also quickly made their way into the room wondering what all the commotion was about.

Carlisle got up from his seat and walked towards me, "Alice... what's the matter?"

"Carlisle, we need to go to the hospital... right now." The words rushed out of my mouth as the weight of them still rested heavily on my mind.

Esme quickly spoke "Did something happen to Bella?"

I looked at Esme and faintly shook my head. I could sense the confusion from everyone as they tried to figure out what was at the hospital that required their immediate attention. I was every bit as confused as they were.

In what seemed like an eternity of silence, I finally said, "It's not Bella. It's Edward... he's hurt... he's bleeding... it seems he's human again."

--

**Thoughts? As previously mentioned, reviews are a great way to inspire more chapters!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: **_The Twilight saga belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters... although I truly wish I owned some part of the dazzling Edward (sigh)

**And so the show must go on... here is the next chapter of the story**

--

_**Rosalie's POV**_

Carlisle and Esme had both rushed off in the Mercedes for the hospital. Each of us knew that we could make it there just as quickly by foot, but Carlisle convinced us that even in our current panicked state, we still needed to be cautious with our actions. We couldn't exactly show up at the hospital miraculously without any evidence of our source of transportation.

"I swear could this stupid convertible go any slower. I don't get why one of us couldn't just run ahead to check how he was while the rest of us caught up," I muttered to myself but loudly enough for Emmett, Jasper, and Alice to hear.

Emmett reached forward and rubbed my shoulder.

"You're already pushing over 100mph... we'll be there before you know it. Everything is going to be okay."

I looked at him through the rearview mirror and quickly stated, "Can you honestly promise me that, Emmett? Can you look me straight in the eye and say without a doubt that everything... that Edward is going to be okay?"

Emmett sat back in his seat and gazed off at the blurry scenery rushing past us during the drive.

"I didn't think so," I sneered.

A part of me knew that I shouldn't be so mean right now. I knew we were all on the edge of our seats waiting to arrive at the hospital and see Edward. However, the other part of me was so completely distraught by the news of Alice's vision.

I thought to myself, "How in the world was Edward a human? Maybe Alice made a mistake... but if she didn't, did that mean that Edward found a cure for vampirism? Was it possible that I could..."

I shook the final question out of my head. A feeling of guilt washed over me. My brother was currently in the hospital probably struggling to stay alive at the moment. Yet, here I was dwelling on the fact that he was human again, and that I could possible benefit from that.

"Could you be any more selfish, Rosalie!" I heard my own inner voice yell.

The conversation between my other three passengers pulled me from my thoughts.

"I don't understand Alice. Why didn't you see this earlier?" I heard Emmett question.

A visibly frustrated Alice turned to him and said, "I don't know Emmett! I honestly doubt that Edward actually planned on crashing his beloved Volvo."

"I think he meant the human thing, Alice. How could you have not seen Edward becoming human again?" I chimed in.

Her eyes softened at the inquiry as she repositioned her body back to face the front. I could see her shrug at my question.

She responded more gently this time "I honestly don't know, Rosalie. I guess it would mean that Edward didn't know he was going to become a human... that it wasn't something he decided... it wasn't a path he knowingly chose."

Her answer only managed to raise my frustrations, and I could do little to stop my sudden outburst, "How could he not know?! Vampires don't just randomly become humans again. Knowing his obsession with Bella, he's probably been searching for any way of not having to change her, and he's been keeping it a secret from..."

My tirade was interrupted by Alice's rant "How dare you, Rosalie! Edward could possibly die, and all you want to do is throw accusations at him that you know very well aren't true. He would never keep something this big from us. And Jasper, I swear to God if you keep trying to calm me down right down, I will come back there and kick your ass."

I heard Jasper nervously clear his throat. The next few minutes passed in silence until finally Emmett spoke up.

"We're here."

We rushed out of the car and quickly made our way through the hospital's front doors. None of us knew exactly what to expect inside. We simply braced ourselves for the worst.

--

_**Carlisle's POV**_

I read the charts over and over again still finding it hard to believe what my eyes saw. Everything from the blood type to the vital signs to the injuries... they all pointed to the same conclusion. Alice was right... Edward was human again.

I gazed at Esme, who was currently sitting at his bedside. She had taken hold of his hand and rested her forehead against it. My vampire hearing could make out her faint pleas.

"Edward please be okay" she whispered.

I was sure that if I had a heart, it would have been breaking at that moment from the sight of my wife begging for some sort of divine intervention.

The doctor that was on-call when Edward was brought in briefly filled me in on his injuries. He had suffered three broken ribs, which fortunately didn't puncture any organs, a fractured left wrist, and several deep gashes from the broken windshield. An immediate blood transfusion was conducted to counteract the large amount of blood he had lost.

The doctor's biggest concern of course consisted of the traumatic brain injury Edward acquired from the car's impact with the tree. It would be difficult to diagnose any other injuries until he finally regained consciousness. I flipped through the charts again until I sensed someone at the doorway. I glanced at the rest of the Cullen clan looking in, and I could the see the realization dawn upon their eyes.

I'm sure they had hoped that Alice's vision had been wrong... that it was all a misunderstanding in much the same way that Edward had rushed away to Italy under the impression that Bella had died. Unfortunately, there could be no mistaking the sight of Edward's very broken body before them.

Jasper was the first to speak. "How is he?"

The sound of Jasper's voice caught Esme's attention as she set her gaze upon our children. She gently placed Edward's hand back down on the bed and made her way to my side. She grabbed my hand as my attention went back to Jasper.

"He's in a fairly critical condition but stable for now. There isn't much we can do except wait."

"So it's true?" Rosalie stated as her eyes couldn't seem to tear away from Edward's unmoving form.

I knew immediately what she was referring to. I nodded before responding.

"Yes it is. He's completely human. I don't know how. I've looked at the charts repeatedly, and it makes no sense how much sense his vitals make. They're all "normal" for a person in his condition."

I turned to Alice and asked, "Is there anything else you see Alice? Any information that might help us about what happened?"

I saw the worry in Alice's eyes, and I could tell that she wanted nothing more than to have an answer for me.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see anything of use. Something's different about him... I mean aside from the obvious fact that he's now human. His future is blurry to me for some reason. I can't see him. I only had the vision of the accident because of the EMTs at the scene that were working on him."

Emmett interjected from behind the group.

"Can't you just turn him, Carlisle? Who knows if his condition will worsen or if he gets up again?"

I turned to take a quick glance at Edward and before addressing Emmett.

"The thought did cross my mind when I got to the hospital. However, Alice is right. There is something different about him. His blood... it smells differently, and it's not just because of the blood transfusion. Clearly none of you knew Edward when he was a human, but I did. I know it's been over a hundred years since I have smelled his blood, but I can say without a doubt that there is something different about the scent. Until we know what exactly happened to Edward, it's best we don't try and change him for now since we have no idea what effect his blood would have on us."

Before I could continue, I heard the doors down the corridor swing open. Judging from the desperation I sensed in the rushed footsteps, I knew it could only be one person.

Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie parted ways to let Bella through the door. Her eyes fell upon Edward, and she quickly rushed to his side. She brought up her hand to touch him but seemed unsure of whether she should . She was either probably too worried about hurting him or too much in shock to know where to even begin.

She seemed to battle this dilemma for a few seconds before finally settling on touching his hair. Her fingers gently combed through his bronze-colored strands, and I could see the tears escape her eyes.

Her lips finally released the word "Edward."

She said it so gently that she probably thought that even a loud noise could worsen his fragile state. I thought the sight of Esme's despair was enough to torment me, but now looking upon Bella taking in the sight of Edward... I knew that the image would haunt me until I figured out what in the world happened to my son to bring him to this current state.

--

**Reviewing is a win-win situation... they make me happy which makes me write more, and you get more chapters which means you get to read more.**

**Also let me know if there any criticisms on the writing or how the story is progressing... I obviously want to make it an enjoyable story for you guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: **_The Twilight saga belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters... although I truly wish I owned some part of the dazzling Edward (sigh)

**Before going into the story I'd like to address some of the reviews because I want you guys to know that I do listen and take into account suggestions and comments**

**_1) GoGoHyourinmaru- _Don't worry the multiple point of views structure is only temporary. It's basically just to lay down the foundation until Edward can contribute. The story will be mostly told from Bella and Edward's perspective.**

_**2) EdwardIsCoolButJacobIsHawt**__**- Thanks for giving the story a second look. Can you tell me where exactly is the mistake I made so I can fix it immediately? Thanks again for the tip.**_

**And now the story...**

--

_**Esme's POV**_

It had been five days since the accident, and Edward had yet to regain consciousness. Within that same length of time, we had made absolutely no progress in finding out what exactly happened to him.

The police report simply stated he lost control of the Volvo. There didn't seem to be any other sign of another person or vehicle being involved.. They figured it might have been a matter of him swerving to keep from hitting a deer, but my family knew that couldn't have been the case.

I glanced at the clock and knew that Bella would be arriving at any moment to take over her shift of watching Edward. For the past five days, we had been in constant rotation sitting by his side and waiting for him to finally open his eyes.

It was no surprise that Bella fought hard to sit in most of the time. It wouldn't have been much of a problem, except for the fact that she was the only one of us that actually needed to sleep and eat. I could see the pain in her eyes every time she was forced to be torn away from Edward's room because of her human necessities for food and rest.

I took in the sight of Edward once again. I always had to control the shock that surfaced each time I visited him. I never could get use to seeing his once pristine, pale skin now covered in bruises and gauze.

"What on earth happened to you, Edward?" I asked out loud.

Carlisle mentioned that we should try and talk to him while he was in this state. Sometimes, patients responded quicker if those around them tried to interact with them through sound and touch.

I was never one to play favorites with my children, but for some reason, I had always held a special place for Edward. It was probably because he had been alone for such a long time. I would sometimes catch him staring longingly at Jasper and Alice or at Emmett and Rosalie. I knew he wanted very much to experience that type of union.

Yet, he had always been the most guarded when it came to interacting with those outside the family. He seemed resigned to the fact that he was simply destined to be alone. That of course changed the moment Bella appeared in his life.

I had never seen him so happy or content. Of course, there had been rough times along the way, such as the incident with James or his hasty visit to the Volturi just to name a few. However, the devotion I saw in his eyes every time he looked at Bella told me that he would much rather have a few minutes of wonderful by her side than a lifetime of nothing special without her.

I just couldn't understand how after being alone for over a century and his wedding so near, that something like this would place yet another obstacle in his path towards happiness. It was as if there was some outside force that refused to allow him any prolonged period of peace.

"You deserve to have so much happiness in your life, Edward" I whispered. "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you get to experience it."

--

_**Bella's POV**_

I arrived at the all too familiar doorway to Edward's hospital room. Esme was there reading to pass the time it seemed. I could hear the faint strands of Debussy's "Claire de Lune" play in the background. It had been Alice's idea to bring a small stereo to play some of Edward's favorite music as well as his own to make the room more comfortable.

"Hey Esme."

She got up and wrapped me in a warm embrace.

"Hello, my dear. How are things?"

I looked at her before my gaze fell upon Edward.

"As good as they can be I guess... things haven't exactly gotten any easier."

She followed my gaze and nodded at me knowingly. She moved towards her belongings and began to collect them.

"I believe Emmett will be the one coming in a few hours to relieve you. Take care, Bella."

She gracefully exited the door as I began to set up camp yet again next to Edward. I pulled the chair close to him and grabbed his hand. I carefully ran my fingers over his knuckles and over his scrapes.

"You know I should really be thanking you right now, Edward. Alice hasn't even brought up the idea of shopping at all these past few days. I should've figured you go and do something dramatic as this to save me from Alice 'The Wedding Planner Nazi'," I commented out loud to him.

"Or maybe you figured this was a good way of getting Charlie to treat you nicely. I mean who can be rude to a guy that was just recently hospitalized? I hate to break it to you Edward, but I think you're going to need more than a stint in the ER to dazzle him."

I smiled sadly at my words, but the smile never fully reached my eyes. It was too hard to keep up my terrible attempt at humor.

I remained silent for a bit watching him for any sort of response. I looked at the monitor as it beeped incessantly with ever beat of his heart. His heart... it was so weird to think that he now had a pulse. He was now every bit as fragile as I was.

I addressed him again, but there was no humor behind my tone this time.

"Or maybe you thought I needed some sort of inspiration for my wedding vows. That maybe by seeing you like this I would be better able to express how deep my feelings run for you."

I could feel my eyes begin to fill with tears.

"Edward, I thought that there would be no greater pain than the one I felt when you left me after making me believe that you didn't care for me... but I was so completely wrong. The pain I felt then is nowhere near the hurt I feel now while seeing you like this."

The tears rushed out as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"You promised you wouldn't leave me unless I asked you to, and I have yet to make that request. Please wake up, Edward. I need you with me. I need you today... tomorrow... forever. I don't want a future where you're not in it. You can spoil me as much as you want and make as big of a fuss as a you want for the wedding. Just be okay."

My crying mingled with the classical music being emitted from the stereo. The tears continued to flow down my cheeks while the notes escalated as the musical number reached its peak. I felt some shifting beneath my head. I sat up wondering if I had just imagined the slight movement. I held my breath for a second as I watched Edward intently.

"Edward?" I whispered.

I saw his fingers slowly move, and I could faintly here his breath quicken. I stood from my chair and leaned over him. I wiped away the tears from my eyes so I could get a better look at him.

"Edward can you hear me?" I questioned.

An audible groan escaped his lips. His eyes slowly opened, and my breath got caught in my throat the moment his bright, green eyes met mine. It was certainly a startling change in comparison to the amber eyes I had grown so used to.

My hands found their way to the sides of his face as I ran my thumbs across his cheeks. I sensed an actual smile form on my lips as I felt a heavy load being lifted off my shoulders.

I could only appreciate the color for a moment longer as his eyes fluttered closed. He tried to sit up, but clearly his injuries were impeding such movements.

"Hold on... don't move so much."

I reached for the call button behind the bed and spoke into the intercom.

"I need Dr. Cullen in room 182... it's urgent. Tell him Edward is awake."

"Hurt... so thirsty," Edward's raspy voice mumbled.

I immediately ran to the other side of the bed to get the pitcher of water. Of course, I didn't make it there without first stubbing my toe into the chair I had been sitting in as I half-stumbled towards the water. I gently brought the cup to his lips and tipped the contents into his mouth. He sighed with relief.

Carlisle appeared at the doorway and made his way towards Edward. He quickly checked his vital signs and shined a light in his eyes asking if he could see all right. Edward nodded at the question.

"Edward what happened? What caused the accident?"

I could see the confusion in Edward's eyes.

"I don't know."

Carlisle sighed. "Well considering the injury you sustained it's possible the details of the accident are a little hazy at the moment."

The confusion only grew on Edward's face as he broke eye contact with Carlisle and lowered his gaze. It was as though he was searching for something. He peered at Carlisle's chest before continuing.

"I don't think you understand Dr... ummm Cullen."

My eyes snapped towards Edward upon hearing him address Carlisle so formally. I had to remind myself to breathe as I tried to figure out what was happening.

"Dr. Cullen? Edward, why you are referring to me as..."

Carlisle was quickly interrupted by Edward.

"I don't know what caused the accident because I don't remember it. I can't remember anything. I don't know who I am."

Upon hearing Edward's declaration, the weight that had been lifted off my shoulders earlier, suddenly came crashing back down on me.

--

**That's the cliffhanger for this chapter... so now we have a human Edward that has been hit with a case of memory loss.**

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**1) Now, that Edward is awake the story will focus a lot more on his and Bella's POVs.**

**2) The story will pick up a little more in terms of the romance and plot development**

**3) The way I have currently outlined the rest of the story, the rating might be bumped up to an "M/NC-17". I'm not saying it's happening the next chapter or in the immediate future. However, I wanted to know what you guys thought about it. If you are against it, I can just soften those future parts and keep the "T Rating". Let me know what you think**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: **_The Twilight saga belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters... although I truly wish I owned some part of the dazzling Edward (sigh)

**So we last left things with a dazed and confused Edward... I am now happy to introduce Edward's POV. **

**Enjoy!**

--

_**Edward's POV**_

The pounding in my head was completely excruciating. My eyes narrowed slightly at the brightness in the room.

"Why do I feel like I've just been hit by a massive truck?" I thought to myself.

I eventually registered the fact that there was now a doctor standing in front of me talking.

"Edward what happened? What caused the accident?" the young looking doctor inquired.

His question raised my confusion. Accident? I don't remember there being an accident.

"I don't know," I managed to respond.

He continued on about something regarding the fact that my haziness of the events was expected. I was too busy in my own thoughts to fully listen to him. It hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized he referred to me as Edward... a name I had no recollection of. In fact, it dawned on me that I had absolutely no memory of anything.

I searched his coat for his name tag. My eyes finally fell upon the identification hanging from his pocket.

"I don't think you understand Dr... ummm Cullen," as I felt the panic slowly build within me.

I was met with a perplexed stare from him.

"Dr. Cullen? Edward, why you are referring to me as..."

Did he really need me to spell it out for him? I quickly spoke up to interrupt him.

"I don't know what caused the accident because I don't remember it. I can't remember anything. I don't know who I am," I said in a rushed tone.

Dr. Cullen's eyes widened at my response. I heard a faint gasp from the side of the bed and turned to the source of the sound. I had been so caught up in my pain and anxiety of my memory loss that I had forgotten about the girl I had seen when my eyes had first opened. She remained silent while staring at me.

I took in the sight of her. She seemed rather tired as if she hadn't slept properly in days, but even with her tired appearance, I was still mesmerized by her beauty. Her brown eyes drew me in. I wondered what relation she had to me, and how well she knew me. A sister perhaps? God, I prayed we weren't in the least bit related.

Before Dr. Cullen could say anything else, a burly man came bursting through the door.

"Man I so had money on Edward waking up during my shift," the unfamiliar face said excitedly.

I was a bit taken aback at his apparent friendliness. Considering his muscular physique and stature, I would have expected him to have been much more intimidating. However, judging from the goofy smile plastered on his face and his booming laugh, he seemed quite amicable. I assumed I must know him since he also referred to me as Edward.

Carlislie turned his attention away from me to address the large man.

"Emmett," he voiced with a hint of warning.

So his name was Emmett. I wondered what the girl's name was. She had yet to say anything following my revelation of not remembering anything. I sneaked a quick peek at her and noted that she was staring down at the floor as if deep in thought.

"I was only kidding... I actually put money on him waking up while Bella was here so I totally won the pool," he said laughingly.

Bella... the name certainly fit her. I mentally repeated the name to see if it brought back any sort of memory. I saw Emmett move to Bella's side and slapped his hand on her shoulder.

"I mean it was obvious he was only going to open his eyes for his lovely fiance here... we all know Edward has a knack for the dramatic," he stated.

"Fiance?" I exclaimed.

It was now Emmett's turn to look at me strangely.

"How hard did you hit your head, Ed? You know Bella... the love of your life... the girl you were going to change into a..."

"Emmett!" Carlislie interrupted. "It seems there's been a slight complication. It appears that one of the side effects of the injury is a case of amnesia. Edward doesn't remember anything."

"Oh," Emmett managed to respond.

I'm engaged... to Bella? Well, at least I know we aren't related... or at least I assume as much. I noted Bella's panicked look at Emmett's revelation. I was sure she didn't exactly want our engagement to be brought up at that moment.

"How old am I?" I wondered.

Bella didn't look a day over 20... she seemed so young to be getting married. The awkwardness in the room became quite evident. Carlisle decided to try and diffuse the situation.

"Emmett, Bella... why don't the both of you head to my office. I'm going to evaluate Edward a little more thoroughly to assess his injuries. Please call the others and inform them of the situation."

They nodded silently before heading for the door. Bella turned towards me one last time when she reached the doorway. I saw the sadness in her eyes and felt a pain surge in my chest. The pain wasn't because of my physical injuries, but rather it was the emotional distress of not being able to recall this girl that is supposed to mean so much to me.

--

_**Bella's POV**_

I numbly sat in Carlisle's office with Emmett trying to process what had just happened. As if learning that Edward was human wasn't enough of a shock, we now find out he can't remember anything... how he became human... the accident... me.

The door opened, and I looked towards it hoping to see Carlisle. It turned out to be the rest of the Cullens. They each had the same look of shock. Sensing the distress, Emmett attempted to lighten the mood.

"Wow nobody foresaw the whole memory loss thing... that would've been such a betting payday had someone predicted that little snag. I mean..."

I glared at Emmett, and he immediately shut his mouth. He glanced back at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry... when something serious happens I tend to deal with my nervousness through misplaced humor that consists of inappropriate jokes," he began.

"Bella... did I mention how sorry I am about before? When I got to the room, I just got so caught up in my excitement of seeing Edward awake and blurted out the fiance thing... I had no idea about the amnesia."

My demeanor calmed at his apology.

"It's not your fault Emmett. I had been in too much of a shock to even give you a warning. These past few days have been full of surprises."

"Just when you think we're about to get some answers... we reach another road block. And for some reason, Edward's future is still blurry to me. I can't make any of it out," Alice added.

It was so strange to see Alice not act in her usual chipper mood.

"Maybe Carlisle will have some news for us. He might have learned something while examining Edward," Jasper stated optimistically.

Rosalie hastily jumped into the discussion, "And if he doesn't? Where does that leave us? We're back at square one not having any idea when Edward will start remembering things."

"We can always try knocking him in the head again. Doesn't it usually work like that in the movies?" Emmett interjected.

I shot daggers at him once again.

"Bad joke? Too soon? Yeah about that misplaced humor of mine... I really need to work on censoring myself during moments like these," he said sheepishly.

Carlisle finally arrived, and he was met by six pairs of expectant eyes wondering what developments he had to share.

"Well aside from the amnesia, Edward seems as though he'll make a full recovery from his injuries. He can be discharged in two days. They want to keep him for a bit just to be sure of things," he began.

There was some relief upon hearing the news, but the tension was still evident on everyone's faces.

"Do you have any idea how long it will take for him to recover his memories?" Esme asked.

"Things like this vary case by case depending on the individual. It could be days, weeks... or even months."

I couldn't prevent myself from gasping at that bit of information. I can't imagine the thought of Edward being without his memories for such a length of time. I certainly didn't envision the weeks leading up to my wedding to be like this.

"What are we going to do with him once he's discharged from the hospital? I mean it's one thing to have a vampire Edward with amnesia staying with us and a completely different thing to have a human Edward with amnesia staying with us," Alice stated.

We all looked at her letting her comment sink in before she continued.

"One night with us, and he'll immediately realize we're not your typical run-of-the-mill family. Let's limit the shock we impose on him... the guy already found out he's engaged. I really don't think it'd help his mental state if we also told him that he's not only part of a coven of vegetarian vampires... but that none of us have any clue as to why or how he became a human again."

Alice's observation gave everyone pause. It seemed no one had really considered that problem.

"He can stay with Bella!" Emmett's voice boomed.

"What?" I exclaimed in response to the suggestion.

All heads, including my own, snapped towards Emmett. He looked around nervously.

"I wasn't even joking that time... maybe I should go sit in a corner or something."

"Actually that isn't such a bad idea... not the corner thing, but the part about Edward staying with Bella," Carlisle commented.

I looked at Carlisle in complete surprise.

Emmett's loud voice resonated through the office once again, "Score one for Emmett!"

He raised his fist up waiting for someone to reciprocate with a pound. He was met with none.

I raised my eyebrow at him as he responded, "Corner. Now. Got it."

"Carlisle you can't be serious... Edward didn't even know I existed or that I was even his fiance until a few minutes ago. Plus, we all know Charlie isn't exactly president of the Edward Cullen fan club," I tried to reason with him.

"Believe me Bella... if there was any other alternative I'd take it. As for Charlie, I'm sure I can convince him of doing our family this favor. I'll explain that with Edward's condition, I felt that, in my medical opinion, it'd be too great of a change for him to return home to six new strangers. A more reasonable adjustment would be to have him stay with you until he regains some of his memories. The idea isn't that far-fetched... I mean you are his fiance."

I sighed, and I knew I couldn't really fight him on this.

"I guess... but don't say I didn't warn you when Charlie decides to pull out his gun on Edward one random night," I quipped

He smiled at my statement. However, his smile soon faded as if remembering something.

"Actually, there is one more thing that I haven't mentioned..."

Alice chuckled before saying "Somehow I don't think it can top telling Bella that she's going to be living under one roof with her dad and her fiance."

I rolled my eyes at the comment. It seemed that she was back to her typical self. I looked towards Carlisle to continue.

"While I was examining Edward, I came upon an injury that caught my eye. The doctor on-call had dismissed it as merely gashes sustained from the car's broken glass, but from my experience the cuts had been inflicted by something else. Bear in mind that I don't know whether the injury was caused before the crash, during, or after... and I certainly don't know if it is somehow related to Edward now being human."

He paused for a second as we all waited anxiously for him to continue.

"It would seem that one set of gashes on Edward's side was the result of a werewolf attack."

--

**Cue the dramatic music. Thoughts? I'm planning on posting the next chapter on Tuesday, but if I get enough reviews I may or may not be tempted to post the next part tomorrow hint, hint**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: **_The Twilight saga belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters... although I truly wish I owned some part of the dazzling Edward (sigh)

**Because I'm so generous... here is the next chapter a day early. Enjoy!**

--

_**Bella's POV**_

Upon Carlisle's revelation that Edward seemed to have injuries caused by a werewolf, I figured that was my cue to seek out Jacob. I ran into Billy, and he claimed there had been no sign of Jacob since he angrily left La Push after my decision to be with Edward

My gut instinct told me he was hiding something... or someone. However, I was forced to let him slide without any further interrogation from me since I needed to get back in time for Edward's arrival to my house.

Charlie wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, but Carlisle and Alice definitely worked their charm on him. They even purchased a new fold out couch for our living room so Charlie wouldn't be under the impression that Edward would be staying in my room.

I finally reached the house and situated the truck in front. Fortunately, Charlie would be on duty when Edward got here, which I guess will slightly minimize the awkwardness. I straightened out the house before I heard a car pull up. I looked out and saw it was Carlisle with Edward in tow.

As I went out to greet them, I saw Edward struggle with his bag as the cast on his wrist complicated things a bit. He finally managed to get control of his belongings and headed towards me. He took three steps before stumbling forward.

"It seems like I'm quite the klutz," he muttered while blushing.

My jaw dropped at the comment as well as at the sight of the color rising in his cheeks. He was still slightly pale, but there was a more natural tone to it.

He looked up and noticed my intense gaze. He turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked.

I quickly snapped out of my daze and shook my head furiously.

"No... there's nothing. I was just uhhh..."

Fortunately Carlisle stepped into save me from further embarrassment.

"Well Edward... if there's anything you need don't hesitate in calling. I'll be checking in frequently."

Carlisle smiled before heading back to his car.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen... or Carlisle... or I guess Dad" Edward said in a rush to the retreating form.

We made our way into the house. I gave him a brief tour making sure to point out the important things, such as the bathroom and kitchen. For some reason, I felt that my bedroom could be categorized as an important thing also. I led him in and gave him time to take in the sight of it. I pointed to one of the pictures on my wall, but his gaze didn't follow where I was signaling towards. Instead, his eyes rested on my outstretched hand.

"May I?" he softly whispered.

I looked at him in confusion before asking "May you what?"

He didn't answer. He only stepped towards me and grabbed my left hand. His fingers gently caressed my palm before turning my hand over. I suddenly realized the reason for his curiosity... my engagement ring.

His fingertips drifted over each knuckle. I felt my eyes flutter close at his touch. My breathing became slightly more labored.

"Vampire or no vampire... he's still got a way with his hands" I mentally mused.

"Are you pregnant?" he softly asked.

My eyes immediately opened, and I snatched my hand back.

"What? No, of course not!" I exclaimed.

I saw him wince at my outburst, and his eyes showed immediate regret for asking.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you... I just... I figured us being so young, and I didn't know..." he rambled.

As much as the question had caught me off guard, I couldn't help but smile at seeing Edward so flustered. The sight of a tongue-tied Edward was actually quite endearing.

"It's okay. I can understand you asking... we are much younger than your average engaged couple."

He visibly relaxed at the absence of any sort of anger in my tone.

"The ring looks beautiful... I must really love you."

"I guess you do," I said pensively.

He shot me his famous crooked smile, and I felt my knees wobble at the sight.

"You guess?" he teased. "I think you're going to need an emotion more concrete than 'I guess' to go through with a wedding."

I laughed at his comment.

"I suppose you're right. Do you want me to be completely honest?" I added.

"Always," he stated genuinely.

I paused for a second since I was slightly taken aback by the sincerity in his eyes when he said that. I turned my back towards him before continuing.

"I sometimes struggled to believe that a guy like you would want a simple girl like me."

I felt him step closer to me as I sensed the warmth radiating from his body. The sound of his velvety voice filled my ear.

"I know I haven't spent much time with you, and I know I don't remember us... but I see absolutely no difficulty in believing how I could be utterly dazzled by you."

My breath caught. I slowly turned around to look at him.

"What did you say?"

"That in our limited time together..." he started.

"No... the last part."

"I said I can see how you could dazzle me. Did I say something wrong?" he looked at me worriedly.

I looked at him questionably.

"No... it's just that the word 'dazzle' is such an interesting one to use. It isn't said often."

Edward mulled over my comment.

"I guess... but it's the only word I could think of that did my sentiment justice."

--

_**Edward's POV**_

"She's right" I thought.

Of all the words I could have used... I used 'dazzled.' I was being honest when I said that it was the first thing I thought of. As my eyes further wandered around the room, I caught sight of a piece of paper on her desk bearing just my name.

"Is it a habit of yours to scrawl my name on any sheet of paper you can find? Will I be encountering random post-it notes during my stay here." I teased.

Bella was clearly embarrassed and quickly moved to put it away.

"I was... I was actually working on my vows."

My smile faded, and I looked at her regretfully. My mood suddenly grew serious.

"I'm really sorry."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Sorry for what?"

"For not remembering you... us... the wedding. I feel I've put quite the damper on things. You should be making last minute wedding arrangements... not fretting over a fiance that's forgotten everything about his life."

My apology was heartfelt. She had mesmerized me the first day, and I haven't been able to get her out of my mind since Emmett revealed that I was actually engaged to this brown-eyed, brown-haired beauty.

As I stood in her room seeing her wear a ring from me... talking about writing wedding vows about me... I wanted nothing more than to remember her. I wanted to remember every moment with her. I sat down on her bed with the hope of easing the pain I felt.

She sat beside me as her voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Unless you intentionally crashed your car with the sole intention of erasing me from your thoughts... I don't think you should shoulder the blame for the memory loss."

I smiled wistfully at her attempt to lighten the mood.

"When did you know that I was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?" I questioned without really thinking it through.

"Hmm... I never thought to narrow it down to one moment. From the second I saw you, it was clear you were someone special."

She tapped her bottom lip with her finger as she gave deep thought to my question. My gaze followed her finger, and it lingered at the sight of her mouth. If only I could remember what if felt like to kiss her... to taste her. Was she a lip biter? Was I a lip biter? What flavor gloss did she wear? Did I dream about the flavor? Actually, I can't see myself not dreaming about her.

My eyes were immediately drawn back up when she began to speak again.

"I'd have to say our first kiss... that's when I knew."

I nudged her playfully.

"That mind-blowing huh? A kiss so good it took your breath away," I joked.

If only she knew that my thoughts were plagued by thoughts of kissing her just moments before.

"Literally," I faintly heard her mumble.

Our eyes locked, and I felt my face inch closer towards hers as she also leaned in. I could feel our breaths mingle as her eyes began to drift close. I moved in further to eliminate the distance between our lips. Just as I was about to finally get a taste of her, we were interrupted by a loud yell.

"Bella!" Charlie's voice echoed from downstairs.

We jumped back from each other as I managed to fall off the bed from the fright.

"Smooth," I thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked looking me over to make sure I hadn't seriously hurt myself.

I nodded finding myself too embarrassed to speak. We made our way out of her room to go meet Charlie.

Well, now I was sure about one thing... it was definitely not hard to believe how Bella could dazzle the hell out of me.

--

**What do you guys think? Thoughts on the flustered Edward?**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: **_The Twilight saga belongs to the genius that is Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters... although I truly wish I owned some part of the dazzling Edward (sigh)

**Thanks so much for the reviews! It really means a lot and definitely motivates me to keep writing.**

**This chapter is the longest thus far, and I found it was one of the more difficult ones to write. I hope it came out well and that you enjoy it.**

--

_**Edward's POV**_

I twiddled my thumbs nervously as I sat with Charlie in the living room watching the game. He sat there completely oblivious to me. Bella had been dragged away by Alice for a massive shopping session. In my few interactions with the tiny girl, I quickly learned she was like a little ball of energy, which meant I wouldn't be seeing Bella anytime soon.

Since my release from the hospital four days ago, I had visited my family a few times. Each time, I always sensed there was something off about them. I couldn't exactly place my finger on what it was just yet. They carried themselves with such grace that I almost felt like the black sheep of the family. In fact, even when it came to appearances, there was an underlying similarity among them that I didn't seem to share. I was told early on that we had all been adopted by Carlisle and Esme, but there was still something eerily similar between the rest of the clan that made me feel out of place... their perfectly pale skin... their penetrating eyes... their undeniable poise.

Despite how much I felt I didn't quite fit in with them, I had been hoping to spend some time with them today to save me from having to be alone with Charlie. Unfortunately, they had mentioned something about needing to reschedule because of some sort of hunting trip. So now here I am with Charlie, and no Bella.

Bella. Just the mere thought of her brought a smile to my face. She hadn't brought up the near-kiss from the other day. I guess we were in a silent agreement to act as though it never happened. I think we were probably the only engaged couple in the world that would act awkwardly about a kiss that didn't even take place.

I wonder if this is how I usually was when it came to things about Bella. Did I constantly think about her during every waking moment before the accident? Had the sight of her always made my stomach do somersaults? Did her smile always manage to turn my world upside down?

My thoughts were interrupted by a grunt from Charlie who didn't seem pleased with how the game was progressing. It suddenly dawned on me that I should take this opportunity to ask him a few questions. Everyone from Bella to my family were always so hesitant when it came to talking about stuff regarding my past. It was actually becoming quite frustrating. Before I gave it any further thought, I turned towards Charlie.

"Mr. Swan?"

He tore his eyes away from the television and looked at me as if he had forgotten I had been there the entire time.

"Hmm what... umm Charlie's fine."

I debated whether it was a good idea to possibly open Pandora's box, but I figured I wanted to know sooner rather than later.

"Right. Sorry. Charlie... you don't like me very much do you?"

I had asked the question just as he was in mid-gulp of his drink causing him to suddenly convulse into a fit of coughs. He managed to catch his breath and lowered the volume on the television.

"What makes you say that?"

"Call it a gut instinct, sir. Is it because we're getting married so young?" I inquired not knowing where my sudden courage was coming from.

I could see the hesitation in his eyes as he debated how much he should tell me.

"Well that's part of it I guess."

I grew intrigued by his response and wanted him to continue. I figured there was no turning back now. I might as well pursue with my questioning.

"Part of it? So I assume you weren't much of a fan of me before the engagement either then?"

He got up and began to head out of the room.

"Edward, I don't think we should talk about this right now."

"Wait... please. I need to know. I'm tired of people tiptoeing around the details when they are around me as if they have some huge secret. When the fact of the matter is, it isn't a secret... it's my life," I pleaded.

Charlie studied me carefully. The desperation must have been evident in my eyes because by the end of my little spiel he had made his way back into his seat. He sat quietly for a second as if mulling over his thoughts before continuing.

"Edward, I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't have any reservations about you marrying my daughter."

"Is it me? Something I did? Said?"

Charlie looked around nervously. He placed his elbows onto his knees and leaned forward to rest his head on his hands.

"I don't know if I'm the best person to talk to you about this," he said solemnly.

"Mr. Swan... I mean Charlie. I just want honest answers."

"Well you see Edward... initially, I didn't have much of a problem with you. It wasn't until..." he paused.

His eyes pretty much revealed the internal struggle he was facing. I guess he was weighing his options as to how delicately he should treat me considering my condition. I couldn't let him back out now. I prodded further.

"Until what?"

My curiosity was definitely piqued. I finally felt like I was beginning to get some answers about who I was.

"Until you left," he stated.

I straightened immediately at the revelation.

"What do you mean left? Like moved away?"

My mind was suddenly flooded with several possibilities. Charlie released a deep breath that I hadn't realized he had been holding. I could tell he was having a hard time reliving the incident.

"No. You just left. You broke Bella's heart and just left her in the woods without even so much as a look back. She spent months grieving for you. I had never seen her so... empty... lost."

His agitation grew as he spoke. I had clearly opened up some old wounds. A feeling of guilt began to grow in the pit of my stomach.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

How could I do that Bella? What was I thinking? My self-loathing thoughts were interrupted by Charlie.

"Well sorry doesn't cut for me! You weren't here to see how miserable she was. However, for some inexplicable reason, sorry was apparently good enough for Bella because she took you back almost immediately," he said angrily.

I mulled over this piece of information. Why would she forgive me?

"So you see Edward... I'm worried you're going to pull that stunt again. I'm worried that you'll get up and leave again, and I'm terrified there won't be enough of Bella left to recover from that."

I nodded in agreement.

"I understand your doubts about me. In fact, I'm starting to have doubts about me also," I quietly said.

I felt the room begin to close him. The emotions became too overwhelming.

"I need some space to think. I need to go walk for a bit."

I rushed out of my seat as a feeling of nausea invaded my senses. Maybe I'm not the heroic and loving fiance in this fairy-tale... maybe I'm the bad guy in all of this.

"Edward wait."

Charlie moved towards me, but I immediately stepped away from his grasp. I needed to figure out things alone.

"I'm sorry for everything... I really am."

With those words, I sprinted out through the front door.

--

_**Bella's POV**_

"Alice was sure making up for lost time," I muttered as I lugged the first round of bags out of my truck and through the front door.

I had been worried about leaving Edward alone with Charlie. However, Alice insisted that she doubted my dad would take the opportunity to murder Edward.

"Edward! Charlie! I'm home," I called out.

Charlie slowly walked into the living room to greet me.

"Hey sweetie. Hope shopping was fun."

I immediately noted something different about his mood.

"I guess. Where's Edward?" I asked as I looked around not seeing any sign of him.

He shifted nervously and noticeably gulped.

"About Edward..."

I suddenly grew worried at his suspicious behavior.

"Charlie, what did you do?" I cautiously asked.

"Now Bella I want you to keep in mind that he was the one that wanted to know..."

I grew frustrated at Charlie's attempts to stall. I knew I shouldn't have left them alone together. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Wanted to know what? Where is he Charlie?" I questioned as my patience began to wear thin.

"He wanted to know why I disliked him. I told him it was because I was scared that he would leave you again. I guess I got so worked up about remembering how miserable you had been that I didn't exactly hold back my resentment while telling him."

"Charlie what were you thinking?" I shouted.

"I know Bella, and I'm sorry. I could've done a better job of phrasing things. And well, he got upset and ran out of the house."

I pinched the bridge of my nose hoping to alleviate some of the migraine that was beginning to form.

"How long ago was that Charlie?" I angrily asked.

"About three hours ago."

"Three hours?! You do realize he has amnesia right? He doesn't know his way around!"

At that moment, I could hear the raindrops begin to fall onto the roof of the house.

"Perfect... now he's out there alone in the rain."

I stomped towards the door and snatched an umbrella on the way out. I heard Charlie grab his jacket before following me to the door.

"I'll come with you Bella."

"I think you've done enough," I spat back.

The engine roared to life as I sped out of the driveway. It had been 45 minutes before I finally caught sight of a figure walking through the woods. I quickly slammed on the brakes causing the truck to skid to a stop. I grabbed the umbrella from the seat and rushed out of the truck.

"Edward!" I shouted.

The drenched figure stopped and turned towards me. I felt my heart break at the sight of his anguished eyes.

"Bella?" he called back.

I could tell he was completely soaked from walking in the rain for nearly an hour.

"Edward get in the truck. You shouldn't be out here in this weather, especially in your condition. You've been out of the hospital for less than a week," I reasoned with him.

I saw his slight hesitation before he made his way towards me and truck. I was silently grateful that it didn't much to convince him. He got into the truck in silence. I put the heat on as high as possible. Edward was visibly shivering, and I could faintly hear his teeth chattering.

"Take off your shirt," I said abruptly.

"What?"

"Your shirt. Take it off. Alice sent along some clothes for you. You're going to get sick if you leave that wet shirt on," I told him.

I reached for the back seat and pulled out a long sleeved shirt of his as if to prove to him I wasn't lying. He sighed before reaching towards his shirt to unbutton it. He struggled a bit because of his cast, which gave me the opportunity to admire his chest as he slowly made his way down the shirt. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks at the sight of his defined abs. I did, however, wince at seeing his bruises and injuries from the accident. A big part of me wanted to just take him into my arms and have him rely on my body's heat as opposed to a piece of clothing.

I shoved those desires away as I handed him the dry shirt. I debated whether to help him put it on, but I figured it would be best to keep some space between us at the moment. I heard his breath hitch, and I assumed he was still very much sore from the accident. He finally got the shirt on and stared ahead through the windshield as his wet hair was matted against his forehead.

"Are you okay?" I asked, finally breaking the silence.

He continued to stare blankly ahead as we sat in the parked truck.

"Why'd you take me back?" he uttered.

"Edward, it's complicated to explain."

He turned to me as his eyes locked with mine. I felt my breath catch at the intensity of his green steeled look. I could make out the strong definition in his jaw as I saw it clench.

"Then un-complicate it Bella."

I was the first to tear my eyes away.

"You had your reasons," I said lamely.

I could tell by his body language that he wasn't at all satisfied by my answer.

"Bella," he softly said.

His captivating tone caught my attention as I turned to meet his eyes again. This time there wasn't as much tension apparent on his face. It was a much more apologetic expression. He reached out to grab my cheek with his uninjured hand.

"I can't imagine any legitimate reason for leaving you."

As I began to lean into his touch, he quickly removed his hand from my face.

"Which is why none of this makes sense, Bella. It sounds like I've caused you a tremendous amount of pain. Yet, you still took me back and wanted me to be a part of your life... a part of the rest of your life. Why?"

I cringed at how disgusted he sounded with himself. It reminded me of when he would talk about how he considered himself to be a monster that possessed no soul. I grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart.

"Edward, you're the only person that can make my heart stop and race at the same time. When you start remembering, you'll realize that you and I aren't exactly your average couple, but that's what's so great about us. I decided a long time ago that a tomorrow isn't worth experiencing if I don't have you with me to share it."

As I spoke, I felt myself inch towards him. By the end of it, I had placed my hand behind his neck to carress the hair there. He closed his eyes at the sensation. Before I could stop myself, I closed the gap between us. He was initially taken by surprise and seemed as though he was about to try and talk me out of it.

As his lips slightly parted during his attempt to say something, I took the opportunity to slip my tongue into his mouth. He moaned at the intrusion and began to reciprocate with his own tongue. I felt a new wave of emotions wash over me as I experienced this new type of kissing with Edward.

I felt my body gravitate towards his as I somehow managed to climb over the divider and get into a position comfortable enough to straddle him as he sat in the passenger's seat. My knees gently rested on either side of his hips as I was careful not to hurt him. His right hand tightly gripped my hip as he used the forearm on his injured left hand to hug me closer to him.

I instinctively rolled my hips into him causing yet another moan from him. I frantically grabbed at his perfectly bronze-colored hair causing my tongue to delve deeper into his mouth. He tore away his lips from mine, which made me quietly whimper at the absence of his lips from my own. I felt him place gentle kisses on my collarbone as he took in my scent.

"Bella," he whispered into my skin.

I reached my hand up to the truck's roof as an attempt to steady myself. I felt Edward make his way up my neck until he reached just below my ear. His tongue swirled around the area causing my mind to go into an absolutely frenzy. I needed to taste him again as I removed my hand from the roof to redirect his lips towards mine. I gently nibbled his lower lip between my teeth before he gently ran his tongue along my lips.

We were forced to separate from the lack of oxygen. I nestled my head onto his chest and listened to the unfamiliar sound of his racing heartbeat.

"You're out of breath" I said as I tried to recover my own breathing.

I felt him chuckle at my observation.

"Can you blame me? I'm sure this isn't the first time you've left me gasping for air."

"If you only knew," I silently thought.

I pulled away from the comfort of his chest to look him in the eyes. I then gazed down and traced his swollen lips with my finger. His warm breath tickled my fingertips. The windows were fogging up from the heat... our heat.

His emerald gems studied me carefully. I never wanted to leave this moment. I would be completely content with staying in my truck forever with him holding me like this. However, I knew that was too naïve of me. I decided it was best to face reality.

"Edward about what Charlie said..." I began.

His eyes narrowed as his mouth hardened into a frown. He turned to look out the passenger window. I turned his head and forced him to look at me.

"There's more to the story... he's only aware of what's at the surface. The explanations will eventually come. It's just a lot to spring up on you. You'll eventually remember and know, but for right now, it's important that you know one thing... I love you."

I placed a chaste kiss on his lips. I felt the tension slowly leave his body. He leaned forward and rested his forehead on mine.

"It hurts to not remember you. I want to have back every memory I ever had of you... so I could relive them in my mind every moment of the day. However, looking on the bright side of things, I'm getting to fall in love with you all over again. I get to experience you as if everything happening right now was happening for the first time."

If he only knew how much of him I was also experiencing for the first time.

"But I do have a question," he said.

I felt my body stiffen wondering what he would bring up.

"What you said before... before the kiss. About a tomorrow not being the same without me," he paused.

I began to wonder where he was going with this. I nodded for him to go on.

"I hope you didn't use a rough draft of your wedding vows just to get a kiss out of me," he teased while showing his perfect crooked smile.

I laughed at his comment before smacking him gently on the shoulder. I rested my head back onto his chest. I knew things were going to get complicated when he started to remember things, and the questions were only going to get harder. However, for right now, I just wanted to sit with him in peace listening to his heartbeat and the rain fall on the truck's roof.

--

**What did you guys think? Success? Disaster? Was the Charlie scene realistic enough? **

**I must say that I always felt makeout scenes were difficult to write. I am usually like "Well what would I do?", "Would I really put my hand there?" etc lol. Hopefully it came out decently.**

**Don't worry... the drama and the memories are just around the river bend haha. Please review... it makes my heart happy!**


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